Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath - Major, United States Army

Gilbreath, Erasmus Corwin, Born at Ohio, 13 May 1840
Indiana, First Lieutenant, 20 Indiana Volunteer Infantry, 22 July 1861
Major, 27 July 1863
Honorably Mustered Out Of The Volunteer Service, 19 October 1864
Captain, Assistant Quartermaster of Volunteers, 23 January 1865
Honorably Mustered Out 28 July 1865
Second Lieutenant and First Lieutenant, 15th United States Infantry, 23 February 1866
Transferred to the 24th United States Infantry, 21 September 1866
Transferred to the 11th United States Infantry, 25 April 1869
Captain, 23 December 1873
Major, 9th United States Infantry, 30 April 1897
Transferred to the 11th United States Infantry, May 1897
Died 22 August 1898

Gilbreath, Etta Moore, the daughter of Erasmus C. Gilbreath. Footstone in same site. March 9, 1870-July 9, 1946.

Erasmus C. Gilbreath, late Major of the Twentieth Indiana Volunteers, to be Second Lieutenant, February 23, 1866, to fill an original vacancy.

Second Lieutenant Erasmus C. Gilbreath to be First Lieutenant, February 23, 1866, vice Potter, promoted.

First Lieutenant Erasmus C. Gilbreath, of the Fifteenth Regiment United States Infantry, to date from February 23, 1866.

LINCOLN ASSASSINATION BLOOD STAINED HANDKERCHIEF

Handkerchief with blood from Abraham Lincoln’s assassination is a family heirloom passed on to my Mother at her birth in 1923 by her Grandfather, William Sydnor Gilbreath. He was given the hanky from his parents, Major and Mrs. Eramus Gilbreath. Major Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath was in the regular army during the civil war. His wife Susan Corse Gilbreath has her name on the hanky. Her Father, William Corse, was politically a republican and among his warm friends, he numbered Abraham Lincoln. (This was taken from copies from the genealogy and biography of the Leading Families of the City of Baltimore and Baltimore County, Md. Published by,-Chapman Publishing Co., New York and Chicago, 1897. copy dated July 6, 1899) There are numerous articles in the Gettysburg Library referring to Erasmus Gilbreath, a veteran of the Battle of Gettysburg and his personal history of his part in the war. Major Gilbreath is buried at Arlington Cemetery.

GILBREATH, E C
MAJ 4 US INF
VETERAN SERVICE DATES: Unknown
DATE OF DEATH: 08/22/1898
DATE OF INTERMENT: Unknown
BURIED AT: SECTION DWS SITE LOT 86
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

GILBREATH, E C
MAJ 11 US INF
VETERAN SERVICE DATES: Unknown
DATE OF DEATH: 08/22/1898
DATE OF INTERMENT: Unknown
BURIED AT: SITE LOT 66
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

GILBREATH, ETTA MOORE D/O EC
DATE OF DEATH: 07/02/1946
DATE OF INTERMENT: 07/05/1946
BURIED AT: SECTION WEST SITE 86-D
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
DAUGHTER OF EC GILBREATH – MAJOR INF US ARMY

GILBREATH, SUSAN C WID OF GILBREATH, ERASMUS C
DATE OF DEATH: 02/04/1919
DATE OF INTERMENT: Unknown
BURIED AT: SECTION W-E SITE LOT 86 D
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
WIFE OF EC GILBREATH – MAJ 11 US INF

MRS. MAMIE GILBREATH EDWARDS
June 24, 1898, Arizona Republican

The St. Louis Globe Democrat of Monday last contained the following pathetic account of the death and funeral of Mrs. Mamie Gilbreath Edwards, formerly of Fort Whipple, Arizona at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri:

The funeral of Mrs. Mamie Gilbreath Edwards, wife of Lieutenant Oliver Edwards and daughter of Major Erasmus C. Gilbreath of the Eleventh Infantry occurred at Jefferson Barracks at 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon. The interment was in the National Cemetery. The husband and father are both at Tampa with their regiment.

The regiment went into camp at Mobile and camp life was monotonous. The chief joys of each, were the letters that came, laden with love. But the letters stopped, for the regiment went to sea, sailing for a port unknown to those who sailed. Then there was grief at the post for Mrs. Edwards grew worse and her life was despaired.

Then she grew better and when the regiment touched at Tampa she suddenly grew worse and early Friday morning she died.

The death and burial of Mrs. Edwards had a peculiar sadness about it. It was one of those pathetic things of war. Two months ago, Mrs. Edwards, 20 years old and a bride of a year, came to the barracks with her husband’s regiment. The regiment was ordered to Mobile with the invasion of Cuba in immediate prospect. The officers bade their wives good-bye leaving them in the officers quarters at the barracks. Mrs. Edwards, a soldier’s daughter and a soldier’s wife was brave.

The father and husband were reached by wire at Tampa. The husband answered. He could not express his grief. He said he was caring for his father who was recently injured by accident and was also prostrated by the news of his daughter’s death. They could not come home. Their country needed them.

Yesterday a white casket banked with flowers stood in Major Gilbreath’s quarters at Jefferson Barracks. There were only a few present – officers at the post, their wives and the wives of some of those at the front. The officers were in uniform. Dr. Johnson of the first Congregational Church stood beside the coffin. In a room above the mother and a brother wept.

The pall bearers – Captain J. Knight, Lieutenant E.M. Supp, Major Girard, Major Kress, Major Moore and a son of Captain Mack took the casket and carried it to the hearse. Carriages were waiting. Mrs. Gilbreath, her son William and some of her nearest friends joined the cortege.

Photo By United States Army

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
SECTION 1
GRAVE 86-D

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Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard

Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath – Major, United States Army

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